Miniatures 1970-1978 [Box set]

BLACK SABBATH: The debut album of the first and best heavy metal band ever. This album is full of gloomy riffs and minor keys and just sets a wonderful dark atmosphere.
PARANOID: Arguably (by me) the best ever Heavy Metal album. This album set the standards for metal/rock and still sounds fresh and new today.
MASTER OF REALITY:Keeping up the standards of there other works this album is just full of heaviness (except 'Changes' which is still amazing)
VOL 4: Wheels of Confusion starts you off well and as the albums continues you can only like this album and its creators more and more.
SABBATH BLOODY SABBATH: Full of amazing tracks that just can't age and you can't help but listen to the title track again and again.
SABOTAGE: 'Hole in the Sky' is a big bang to bring you into the album and you have a brief respite with 'Don't Start (Too Late)' before the sheer heaviness of 'Symptom of the Universe' hits you. As good as the rest of this album it is none of the following tracks are quite as good as Sabbath's previous genious but still a good listen.
TECHNICAL ECSTACY: IMO the worst album Sabbath made but it has a couple of good tracks. The band looses it power here and this makes it my least listened to of these albums.
NEVER SAY DIE!: The most ironically named album ever but still a good listen. Sabbath picks up its standards again here but still not up to even the standard of the first four albums. The title track is a great rocker and the rest of the album is full of good songs but the bands more than apparent lack of entusiasm is very visable and lowers the quality a tad (but not much)

Overall this boxed set is good for any fan of Heavy Metal who wants to know where it all started. With a large number of the track becoming classics in their genre. I would recommend you get this if you want the music but don't expect any background of the band as all you get is a book of pictures of the band.
This boxed set is a must for everyone who has ears.

What I like: the package, the sound and the albums
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THE PACKAGE: Very nice
_Black Sabbath: Cardboard foldout cover, white paper inner sleeve
_Paranoid: Cardboard foldout cover, white paper inner sleeve
_Master Of Reality: Cardboard box cover, white paper inner sleeve, includes poster
_Vol 4: Cardboard foldout cover (includes 4 page booklet), white paper inner sleeve
_Sabbath Bloody Sabbath: Cardboard foldout cover, paper inner sleeve with printed lirics
_Sabotage: Cardboard sinple sleeve, white paper inner sleeve
_Technical Ecstasy: Cardboard simple cover, white paper inner sleeve, lirics insert
_Never Say Die: Cardboard simple cover, paper inner sleeve with artwork
_16 page photo (only photos, no text) booklet
_Box to hold the releases
the CDs themselves are printed resembling LPs

(if you have seen the original LPs covers you know what this CDs look like)

THE SOUND
Much like the remasters (I think it's the same) and I didn't notice the faults that some of the remasters have.... (Fairies Wear Boots, Sabra Cadabra..)

THE ALBUMS
Well, the first Black Sabbath Albums should already be known by everyone, shouldn't they? Although I prefer the late (Tony Martin era) or the Dio ones these ones are great as well
Black Sabbath is the european version (that means the track Wicked World is missing)

What I don't like
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Absolutely no extras, No booklet other than the photo booklet, No unreleased demos, No unreleased tracks, No live tracks. The album Live At Last is missing

Conclusion
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If you like Black Sabbath and don't have the remasters BUY THIS SET NOW, the packaging is much nicer (in my opinion), it would require less space in your shelves, you won't get the faults that some of the remasters have and you'll only miss wicked world. Plus the package is cheaper than buying the remasters alone

If you like Black Sabbath and you already have the remasters I've already told you what this package has and has not, so you can decide for yourself

If you don't like Black Sabbath what are you doing reading this review?

I world have given the 5th star should the pacakge contain extra material

Then in April 1970 I heard Black Sabbath play on John Peel's Sunday Show. They sounded so different to anything that I'd heard before. During the following week I visited my local record shop in the hope they'd have this new band's album - they did. I remember that day so well - so sunny and bright - in stark contrast to the doom laden vinyl I was carrying in my sweaty, teenage palms! I got home, put the record on my newly-bought, teak veneered (very fashionable at the time!) radiogram and waited expectantly. The sounds of thunder and heavy rain filled the cheery sunlight room. Then the first crashing chord hit and I was hooked. I sat totally amazed at what I was hearing. When it ended I just played it again - and again. This has always been my favourite Black Sabbath album. Whenever I play it, I'm back in April 1970 and I'm 18 again.

I bought each new album as they were released in the 70's and loved them all, but that first one is special. After Ozzy left, I stopped buying the albums - it just wasn't the same for me.

I recently, and very reluctantly, sold my entire vinyl collection to fund the purchase of another guitar and to make room for the new furniture my wife decided we needed - the latter being the prime directive (of course!). I'm now replacing the special albums with CD's and have started with this boxed set that contains all eight of the albums I had on vinyl - perfect! The fact that they are packaged in mini replicas of the originals is just right. The sound is fantastic.

To review the musical content of this collection is pointless - you either love them or loathe them. If you want a collection of Black Sabbath during the Ozzy years, this is the one to buy.

When the boxed set arrived, I just had to play the debut album first and in a different sun-filled room I sat and heard the rumblings of thunder, the rain, the first crashing chord. I was 18 again...